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Search the Public Notice Portal PLANS have been put forward for a farm in North Yorkshire which could house an additional 324,000 broiler chickens.
Forest Poultry Ltd, which operates East Farm on Forest Lane in Alne, Easingwold, is seeking permission from North Yorkshire Council to add six new poultry houses and additional infrastructure on agricultural land at the 12.65 Hectare site.
The company operates five poultry farms across North Yorkshire and supplies broiler chickens to UK supermarkets, according to documents issued with the proposal.
A broiler refers to a young chicken raised and managed in agricultural settings primarily for meat production.
The proposal would see the additional houses put up to the southeast of the existing site.
Each of these would house birds within "Better Chicken Commitment stocking density" - following the adoption the code by UK supermarkets, the plans added.
Existing bird numbers at the site have dropped from 339,000 to around 270,000, a drop of about 21 per cent in production as a result of these regulations, the plans said.
Each poultry house would measure approximately 128 metres by 24.69 metres, with a capacity of 54,000 birds per building.
The plans also include internal access roads, feed bins, gas and water storage, heat exchangers, car parking, and a drainage attenuation pond.
Planning documents said the proposed expansion of the poultry unit at East Farm represents "a sustainable, well-considered and policy-compliant development", adding that "it responds directly to changes in animal welfare standards, supports national food security, and enables the continued operation of an established rural business."
"The development is appropriately sited, well designed, incorporates renewable energy generation, and is supported by robust technical evidence demonstrating that impacts relating to traffic, noise, odour, drainage, ecology and ammonia are acceptable", documents within the plans added.
At the time of writing, there were 99 objections to the application in the council's planning portal.
Tollerton Parish Council's objections included the "cumulative scale and intensification of the site, the environmental impact, the impact on residential amenity, animal welfare, impact on the visitor economy, and the delivery of the proposed waste disposal plan."